It Can Hurt the Children

Is there such a thing as “passive smoking”? In other words, can children be harmed by the cigarettes that their parents smoke? This question is hotly debated, but, according to Science News, additional evidence now available suggests that over a period of time they can.

The magazine refers to a study, conducted by scientists in Boston, of 1,156 children who spent more time around their mothers than around their fathers. Some of the mothers smoked, and some did not. The result: “After five years, the lungs of non-smoking children with mothers who smoke grow at only 93 percent of the rate of growth in non-smoking children with mothers who do not smoke.” Their conclusion? “Passive exposure to maternal cigarette smoke may have important effects on the development of pulmonary [lung] function in children.”

According to Science News, the scientists had previously reported that children of smokers had an overall poorer lung function than did children of nonsmokers.